A Quiet Kind of Evil
by BrickMasterEllie
Summary: A woman, desperate for work so she can care for herself and her two children, accepts the night shift at Freddy's Pizzeria. Trapped in a nightmare for seven days, Caroline takes it upon herself to discover what exactly has been going on at Freddy's all these years, and to prevent more people from walking through the doors and never coming out. Can anyone really be ready for Freddy?
1. One Door Closed Is Another One Opened

**AN: I'll try to keep these short though I tend to ramble. So... I found Five Nights At Freddy's the other night on Steam while looking for something relatively cheap and fun to play. And I just have to say I hopped on the bandwagon the instant that phone started ringing. Something about this game draws me in and intrigues the hell out of me. I love all the animatronic characters and all I've been doing for days is singing that little song Foxy sings every now and again with all the dum dum diddly dum. Whatever you know what I mean. **

**So I decided to take a crack at writing my own Five Nights fanfiction. It isn't my **_**first**_ **fanfiction but I don't write that much so hopefully it won't be total garbage. **

**Warning: This is **_**not**_ **a romance fic. There will be not be any Swaggity Swooty Comin' for the Booty in this. That isn't to say there might not be romance in it maybe. But it is primarily me playing around with the Five Nights story in my head in a fun way and trying to rationalize some of the silliness of it all. Whether or not any of it stays true to canon depends entirely on Scott Cawthorn. The protagonist is not Mike Schmidt but he will definitely be making an appearance so you just have to stay tuned and wait patiently while I get through these boring first chapters. Then we get to the fun stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Obviously. -_-**

**Chapter 1: One Door Shut Is Another Do****or Opened**

"_Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." -Woody Allen, Without Feathers_

Caroline Lance yawned behind the front desk of the the Mayport hotel, ready for her boss to walk through the door so she could return home to her tiny apartment and crawl into bed. It wasn't that it had been a particularly difficult night. After all her job consisted of sitting behind a desk and praying for a phone call from one of the guests upstairs, preferably making some off the wall request that would keep her occupied. Anything to break the monotony of staring at the off white walls of the lobby, decorated with the occasional scenic painting. Well, that or play solitaire on the computer for the hundredth time. It was too quiet, the only real noise coming from one of the machines down the hall that groaned occasionally as it produced more ice.

Tapping her fingers on the desk, she let out a puff of air and leaned her head over the counter, peering out into the darkness of the hotel parking lot. She almost cheered in relief as a red car tore into the parking lot and into one of the employee parking spaces. Leaving her post, she went to the door, opening it for her manager who walked briskly passed her without even a hello, clutching a coffee in her hands like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Christine was an odd lady, and it had taken Caroline some time to get accustomed to her brisk and businesslike demeanor. It was all work and no play with this woman, at least if you didn't know her well. She oozed authority from every pore, and her piercing blue eyes could level even the toughest employees. She had even made and employee or two cry with her sharp tongue and abrupt honest mannerisms. Still, Caroline liked her boss. She didn't play favorites and she always made the workspace fair.

Christine was also a woman of routine. Every morning, sipping on her large coffee (the pitch black and bitter kind that made Caroline wince in disgust), she would check and make sure that everything was prepared for the day, and that everyone's jobs the night before had been completed to her standards. She then would go to the kitchen, flipping the breakers to turn on all of the light-up displays in the cafe, and some of the equipment that didn't need to be left on overnight. Finally, she would unlock the doors to the indoor pool and the gym before retreating behind the door labeled Lead Manager and disappearing for several hours.

This morning she did _not_ follow routine. Instead she waved a hand, beckoning Caroline to follow her as she went straight to the manager's office, the same place Caroline had interviewed for her job here two years prior. Sinking into the leather seat, she recalled how nervous she had been all those years ago, and how those feelings were coming back, making her sick to her stomach as she prepared herself for the worst.

Christine sat down in her swivel chair, her back rigid as she placed the cup down on the glass desktop, beads of moisture rolling down the Styrofoam and pooling into a ring around the bottom. Her long, slender fingers, perfectly manicured, folding together as her blue eyes locked onto Caroline's.

"I honestly do not know how to put this Ms. Lance." she started coolly, "I've tried thinking about what I'd say to you for days until I decided to just cut to the chase."

Caroline knew what was coming next. It wasn't the first time she'd heard it and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"You are most certainly one of the best employees here; and I tried to talk Mr. Sans out of it but he was adamant that several of our employees be cut from the payroll. I am sad to say that you are one of the names on my list. I'm sorry…"

Caroline couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes. Another job, one that she was actually making decent money at, lost. She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the damned traitor tears from rolling down her cheeks, and suddenly she wished she was back at her front desk, bored out of her mind but content in knowing that she was bringing home enough to feed herself and her children.

"Why?" she blubbered, "Why me? I've got kids. I need this job! I can't afford to pay bills without it!" she begged, knowing it wasn't going to get her anywhere but trying nonetheless.

For the first time since she had known her, the ice in Christine's eyes broke, and she reached out to pat Caroline on the hand in a display of comfort.

"We just aren't doing enough business to keep on so many employees, with the economy and everything. We had to make some cuts. Unfortunate as it is, you are one of them. I truly am sorry. This is a difficult thing for anyone. But you are more than welcome to put me on any future applications as a recommendation. You're a good one Caroline. Why this had to happen to you of all people is beyond me."

Christine withdrew her hand, and cleared her throat. Then she pushed a tissue box toward Caroline, whose bottom lip was trembling with the effort of keeping her tears at bay. Caroline grabbed several of the tissues, focusing on breathing and making a plan, and oh God what was she supposed to tell her kids?

Christine allowed her a moment to collect her thoughts and then continued, "You'll finish off the rest of this week and receive your last paycheck on Saturday. Now, you should go ahead and head home. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Caroline nodded quickly, rising out of her seat and not even saying goodbye as she rushed to get to her car. She sunk into the old white car that she'd had for years, resting her forehead on the steering wheel as the tears ran down her cheeks. She sobbed, gasping for breath as she thought about how she was going to pay her bills now. Especially since she was already a bit behind on rent. Caroline sat in her car for a long time, the sun had already started to rise before she finally wiped her face and pulled out of the parking lot.

Cartoons were playing softly as she entered her apartment fifteen minutes later, signaling that the youngest of her children was already wide awake and waiting for her. Just like she suspected, a tiny blonde figure barreled into her as she walked through the door.

"Mommy!" the little girl cried happily, her tiny arms wrapped around her mother's waist. "Where were you? You always come home before I wake up."

Caroline smiled despite herself, and ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"I just stayed at work to chat with Ms. Christine a little, that's all." Caroline said, pulling away from her daughter as she walked to the couch and plopped down. Spongebob Squarepants played on the TV, laughing at something the idiot starfish said as he flipped burgers on a grill. She wished she had the little sponge's enthusiasm. She rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on from all the crying before.

Green eyes observed her for a moment before her daughter sunk into the couch beside her, not as vibrant as before. She laid her head down on her mother's shoulder quietly and whispered, "It's okay Mommy."

Caroline's eyes burned again, her face turning slightly red as she fought the urge not to break down in tears again.

"Mommy?" her daughter whimpered, "What's the matter?"

Caroline sniffed, "Nothing Liv, you just watch your cartoons. I'm gonna go wake up your brother."

The five-year-old frowned, her eyes trailing after her mother as she called out, "Are we gonna have to move again?"

Caroline paused at the entrance of the hallway, "Why do you ask that sweetie?"

"You cried last time we had to move, before we lived here."

Caroline threw a smile over her shoulder, mentally forcing herself to stop pitying herself and find another job. She was a hard worker, and she was _not_ going to uproot her kids again God dammit. "No, of course we aren't moving." she replied confidently.

"Okay…" Olivia trailed, her eyes shifting back to the yellow sponge she was obsessed with as Caroline disappeared into the only bedroom in the small apartment.

Two beds were shoved against adjacent walls with a night stand between them. A box of Barbie dolls and other toys littered the floor. One side of the room was decorated with princess stickers and glow in the dark stars, and the other side with posters of bands, movies, and soccer. And sprawled haphazardly in the bed below these was her fourteen-year-old son Ben. His mouth was open and he snored loudly, the covers barely covering him and his pillow strewn on the floor.

She smiled at the sight gently before coming over to the bed, shaking him and calling his name. He groaned, swiping at her as she shook him again.

"Ben…." she called, laughing as his eyes opened slowly, then got wide as he looked around, confused by his surroundings.

"Mom?"

"Yup. It's me." she laughed. "It's time to get up. I'm gonna make pancakes."

He sat up, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" he asked, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and standing up, stretching. He trailed her to the kitchen, waving at Olivia who giggled and pointed out how his hair stuck up in weird places. Ben stuck his tongue out at her before grabbing the key to the mailbox off the counter and trailing out the door, whistling loudly.

When he returned, the paper and a stack of junk mail and bills in hand, Caroline sat him down at the table and placed a plate of chocolate chip pancakes in front of him. Across the table, Olivia was wolfing down her own pancakes, only pausing to gulp down some milk from a tall cup with Batman on the side.

Caroline flipped through the mail, frowning at the bills and throwing the junk in the trash, her predicament coming back to her hard. Finally she picked up the newspaper flipping to the job section discreetly and reading some of the listings available. She didn't want her kids to know yet.

Almost all of them required experience in one way or another, and being a high school dropout with a GED and no real work experience beyond minimum wage jobs had made job hunting a difficult thing for her to do. She had always regretted not working harder in school, always wished she had chosen to do something with her life instead of getting knocked up at sixteen.

She made note of a few of the listings, in particular the one with Freddy Fazbear's face on the front. Apparently they were hiring a guard to work the night shift, although why a pizzeria would have anything worth guarding was beyond her. The only issue was the low wages. Well that and the troubling phrase 'Not responsible for injury/dismemberment.'

She laughed it off as a joke. After all, what could possibly happen at a restaurant to cause dismemberment of all things?

She stared into the black and white eyes of Freddy, creeped out by the animatronic character. She'd never liked robots. Still, she filed the information in the back of her head. At this point she was so desperate she'd take whatever work she could find. And if that meant sitting in a pizzeria for seven hours staring at security footage she'd certainly take the job. Especially if she couldn't find work elsewhere.

It was with that mindset that she sent her children outside to play as she pulled out her laptop and filled out application after application to local businesses. Then she called each of the numbers on the job listings, promising to come fill out an application for each place later that day. It was only when she reached the end of her list and she was staring Freddy in the face again that she hesitated. Did she really want to work at this place? She breathed deeply and then dialed the number, covering Freddy's face with the phone book so that she didn't have to look at him. It was worth a phone call at least.

The phone rang twice before a tired voice said, "This is Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Amber speaking, how can I help you?"

"Uh, hi." Caroline started, "I was calling about the job offer in the newspaper."

The girl on the other end of the line was silent for several minutes, so silent that Caroline thought she'd lost connection. She was just about to give up when a man in a significantly more pleasant mood said, "Hello, this is Tanner Dunham, the owner of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. I understand that you are currently seeking employment with us."

"Yes." Caroline replied, "My name is Caroline Lance. I saw your ad in the paper and I thought I'd give you a call."

"You're a woman?" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Caroline asked, slightly offended by his tone.

"No! No, no… It's not a problem. It's just that we don't have many women calling up here wanting to take the security shift. Usually it's just men."

"Oh. Well I should probably go ahead and warn you that I don't know much about security work myself but I have worked late night jobs before. Is there something I should know? Do I need experience to work at a place like this?"

"It's pretty self explanatory." he laughed, "It doesn't take rocket science. All you do is sit in a room and flip through our security feeds. Just look out for Freddy and his friends and make sure they don't get up and wander out the front doors."

Caroline laughed, although the imagery of Freddy getting up and walking off stage made the hair on her arms stand up a little and a shiver run down her back.

"I was also wondering," she said, looking over the ad again, "about this injury and dismemberment thing. It seemed a bit of an odd thing to see in an advertisement for a children's restaurant chain."

The owner laughed again, although this one seemed a little fake as though he was annoyed by her question. "Do you know how valuable these animatronics are Ms. Lance? Freddy alone could go for up to $2,500, more than that if you sell him for the right price to the right bidder. And we have a restaurant full of them just waiting for some thief to break in and smuggle them off. Now, technically I suppose we could simply get more, but these characters hold a special place in the hearts of the children, and the adults, who come here."

"That makes sense I suppose." Caroline said. It made sense that the animatronics would be a blast from the past to some parents and the best friend to small children who enjoyed their cute little songs. What was the saying by Orhan Pamuk? 'Man's sentimental attachment to objects is one of life's greatest consolations.'

"As for the injury and dismemberment notice, it is only there to warn you that Fazbear Entertainment will not take responsibility for any injuries you may receive on the off chance someone happened to break in. However, it is not the job of our security guards, despite the name, to wander the halls and pick fights with intruders. Simply watch out for the characters from the office and call me if their safety is compromised in any way."

"Alright then." she said, glad that she was not being asked to deal with intruders herself. She wasn't much of an intimidating figure, that was for certain.

"So you want the job then?" He asked, sounding eager to hire her.

Caroline frowned, shocked by how excited he seemed. Her eyebrows creased together as she asked, "Aren't you going to call me in for an interview first?"

The man sighed, "I suppose I got a little over excited. It's just that you called at just the right time. Our former night guard stopped showing up for work and we need a new one ASAP. How about this? You come in for an interview tomorrow at one o'clock and we'll talk and I'll answer any more questions you have. Alright?"

"That sounds fine." Caroline agreed. "Although I have to warn you, I won't be able to start until Sunday."

The man sighed, "Well that's disappointing. I really need someone by tomorrow at the latest. But I suppose I'll have to make due until Sunday. I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Lance."

Then he hung up.

With her homework done, Caroline laid down on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television until she finally dozed off to sleep.

**AN: Soo... slow start mainly focusing on back-story but I promise it'll get better. **


	2. The Interview

**AN: *Children Cheer* YAY! Chapter two! Things start getting real this chapter.**

**Chapter Two: The Interview**

"_A sense of wrongness, of fraught unease, as if long nails scraped the surface of the moon, raising the hackles of the soul." -China Miéville, Perdido Street Station_

Caroline groaned as the alarm clock on her cell phone blared an annoying tune, telling her it was time for her to get up. She yawned, looking at the time and realizing it was probably time for her to visit some of these other establishments in case this job at Freddy's didn't work out for whatever reason. Plus, she couldn't say she would even agree to stay long with the company in the event that some other, better paying job opportunity presented itself.

Her kids had long returned inside, the heat driving them indoors. She could hear Olivia playing Barbies in the other room, while her son settled on watching a horror movie. He didn't seem to be paying it much attention though, glancing over to his mom as she got up to get ready.

"Something happened at work. I know it." he said, as a girl on screen shrieked in terror. "You came home crying. I could see it on your face."

Caroline winced, knowing she'd been busted by not one but both of her children. She had never been much of a liar, and her blotchy cheeks and greener than usual eyes had might as well have been neon signs letting others know exactly how her night had gone.

Calmly, she explained what had happened at work the previous night, watching his face go from concerned to saddened all at once. He really was a good boy, understanding and kind, and he watched over his little sister when his mother couldn't be there for the two of them. Caroline couldn't count how many jobs she had toted him to over the years, sitting him in the cafe of some supermarket while she rang up people's groceries for six hours. Yet, he never complained about having to sit still and read or color, while other kids his age were going to the park or playing with their newest toys in the comfort of their homes. Caroline didn't know what she would have done without him.

Yet she knew that their lifestyle took a toll on him, and it killed her every day. She knew that he'd lain awake at night just as often as her wondering if they were going to be packing up their things and going to live at the nearest motel until she could scrape up enough money to rent another apartment. Rinse and repeat almost his entire life. There was no stability in the Lance family, but she tried her best to make them happy, despite knowing that working two jobs at times on top of raising children was whittling her down to nothing.

Caroline was determined not to let it happen this time, and she told Benjamin that. She told him about the offer that Freddy's had given her, and he seemed to agree that, at least for the moment, she work wherever she was making money, even if it wasn't the amount she desired, at least it was something.

So with that in mind, she dressed herself up in one of the only nice outfits she owned, everything else consisting of loose t-shirts and jeans, and went to fill out the applications for the remaining six places on her list. None of them looked too promising but it was better safe than sorry, and she returned home with rotisserie chicken from the Walmart Deli, whipping up some mashed potatoes and sweet peas for dinner.

After the lights dimmed, her children tucked into bed and sound asleep, she left for work. Ready to get tomorrows interview over and done with.

* * *

><p>"Mommy!" a voice shrieked, popping into the bathroom as Caroline was finishing up the final touches on her makeup. She wanted to look nice for her interview after all.<p>

"What is it Liv?" Caroline asked, turning around to kiss her daughter on the head.

The girl giggled before her eyes grew wide with excitement. "I heard you were getting a job at Freddy's!"

Caroline narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh, you heard that did you?" she exclaimed, grabbing her daughter up to tickle her until she wiggled her way out of Caroline's grasp.

"Ben told me all about it this morning. He said that you're going to get an interview from there and that you're going to meet Freddy and his friends. Can I come? Please!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea sweetheart."

Her daughter grabbed on to her legs, sinking to the floor as though she was going to prevent her from leaving. "Please?! I've never been there ever! I see the commercial on TV sometimes. I'll be real good. Your boss won't even know I'm there. I just wanna watch Freddy sing momma please!"

Olivia made a pouting face, her bottom lip jutting out as her eyes grew even wider than normal, watering slightly and adding to the pathetic sight.

Caroline sighed before relenting, causing the young girl to jump up and down in excitement as she took off to tell her brother the exciting news. She really needed to learn to say no to those kids.

A few moments later she trailed into the living room, settling her eyes on her son, still reclined on the couch and munching on oreos, his eyes fixated on the book in his lap.

"You're not coming?" Caroline asked, "There will be pizza."

"No way mom. Not gonna happen. Those things are creepy as shit. I can't believe Liv wants to go." Ben said, saluting her before lowering his eyes back to the book.

"They aren't creepy! And you said a bad word!" Liz shouted, offended that her brother would dare to insult Freddy and his band. "Take it back!"

"Sorry kiddo, no can do." he said, "Gotta go with my gut on this one. There isn't enough money in the world that could convince me to get near one of those things."

"Thanks," Caroline said sarcastically, pulling her daughter by the hand out the door before she could go off on her brother again. They reached the car quickly, Olivia strapping herself in and then her teddy bear in the seat beside her.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes before one they pulled into Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, a relatively small and bland building with most of the color coming from the pictures stuck on the windows, depicting the mascots of the establishment in various poses, sometimes with instruments, others with pizza or cupcakes. Above the door were blue letters that read 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria,' with a picture of Freddy tipping his hat and winking playfully.<p>

The double doors leading inside listed the rules and the pizzeria's opening and closing times Sunday-Saturday. Caroline read over it all quickly, pausing to consider some of the odd things on the rules list. Don't poop on the floor? Wasn't that self-explanatory for the older children? She also didn't think that parents needed to be reminded to make sure their younger kids didn't shit themselves and get it everywhere. Also, how could they expect children not to run, yell, and scream? They were children, young ones at that. It was bound to happen.

Shaking her head, Caroline popped open the door and unbuckled her seat belt, glancing in her rear view mirror to see Olivia practically bouncing with excitement, her teddy bear clutched in her hands.

"Time to go kiddo." she said, getting out and holding her hand out to her daughter who was now quivering. "Make sure you follow the rules while we're inside okay?"

"Why would they think I'd poop myself momma? That's just silly." Olivia giggled as her mother opened the door. Caroline shrugged, hearing cheering little ones from inside.

The show had clearly just started by the time they got inside and past the reception area, the animatronics introducing themselves to the crowd of children sitting at rows of tables in the main dining room. Freddy's voice was deep and almost hypnotic as he thanked the children for coming to his restaurant, but the effect was broken by an irritating Goofy-esque giggle that interrupted his words every few moments. To Freddy's left was a yellow chicken named, originally, Chica. Her voice was shrill, making every last adult in the room flinch as she squawked about how much she loved pizza and cupcakes. Lastly Bonnie, whose name she thought was odd for a male character, had a soft tenor voice that didn't make your brain melt when you heard it. Of the three of the robots, she had to say that he was probably her favorite thus far.

Olivia was gone before she had time to remind her to be good, joining a group of weary parents and excited children that were as close to the stage as possible.

Caroline watched for a moment, content in knowing her daughter was happy, before stopping a young employee carrying a pitcher of coke to one of the tables.

"Can you possibly check on that little girl in the butterfly shirt right there every so often? I'm here for an interview and she begged me to let her come. Just every now and again."

"Yes ma'am." the employee said, giving her a quick smile. "Should I let Mr. Dunham know you're here?"

"If you don't mind that would be nice."

The girl nodded again, quickly finishing her task before disappearing again.

Caroline took the time to examine the animatronics, and she had to admit that her son was right. They were creepy. Their movements were too jerky, and their jaws opened too wide, showing off discolored teeth. Honestly, Caroline wasn't sure why the chicken even had teeth. They only made her look intimidating every time she opened up her beak to belt out a joke or a song. Their fur was stained, spotted with what could only be pizza sauce in some places. They were incredibly tall too, dwarfing Caroline in comparison. Some of the patches of their fur was even matted in places, looking like something spilled on their hands and parts of their torso that had never been washed out but had faded with time. All in all, Caroline didn't think they looked like much, especially not worth the $2500 dollars apiece Mr. Dunham insisted upon yesterday.

But what did she know about animatronics anyway? Absolutely nothing.

"_Hey Bonnie! You know what I love more than anything else in the world?" _Freddy exclaimed, his hands moving to his hips as his eyes swept across the room. One thing that had always creeped Caroline out about animatronics as a child was how their eyes always seemed to seek you out in the crowd. As if each of their words were intended for you and only you. Freddy was no exception, his unnatural blue eyes seeming to single her out of the entire room.

"_What's that Freddy?" _Bonnie chuckled, his hands still strumming his plastic guitar to the ambient music.

"_Pizza?!" _Chia interrupted, giggling and looking towards the leader of the band, whose eyes still hadn't shifted.

Caroline was sucked in by the animatronics banter, her breathing becoming slightly labored as the noises in the pizzeria were drowned out by a distant roaring in her ears. For some reason, she _had _to know what Freddy was going to say.

The bear laughed, not a little silly giggle like before, but a deep boisterous laugh with his head rolled back and his eyes shut, his torso shaking. It made all of the air rush out of her lungs, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach which churned with unease.

"_No way Chica! It's much better than pizza!" _Freddy cried, throwing his robot arms up as high as they'd go. His eyes seeking her out again.

"_What could possibly be better than pizza?!" _Chica and Bonnie said in unison, causing the children in the room to laugh loudly in agreement.

Caroline didn't hear them, couldn't hear anything other the sound of her heart thumping wildly in her chest as Freddy howled...

"_Friendship!" _

The three animatronics all burst out laughing hysterically, as though the bear's response had been the most hilarious thing in the world. He shifted his gaze from her then, suggesting they sing a song about making friends and friendship to their guests.

"_Only if it involves eating!" _Chica demanded, causing another rumble of childish laughter throughout the room.

Caroline could feel a thin sheen of sweat coating her forehead, and she felt as though she'd just run a marathon. Her knees shook, and she suddenly felt the need to sit down before she collapsed.

"Enjoying the show?" a voice said from somewhere behind her, causing her to jerk around, only to come face to face with an overly happy finely dressed man in khaki slacks and a white button down. His name tag read 'Tanner Dunham: Owner.'

"Y-yes-" she stuttered, tucking a piece of hair that had fallen out of it's braided up-do behind her ear as she struggled to stop shaking.

The managers smile fell, "Is something wrong?"

Caroline considered telling him the truth for a moment before brushing the thought aside. He definitely wouldn't even consider hiring her if she told him she was too terrified of the animatronics to even function properly. 'Besides,' she thought, 'Nothing Freddy or his friends said was even remotely threatening.'

'But if that's the case,' her brain replied, 'then why do you feel so threatened?'

"I'm only a bit hot," she said, making up an excuse. It wasn't a lie, at least not entirely, the room was suffocating her now. "Could I get some water please?"

"Sure." Mr. Dunham replied, "The kitchen is this way."

"Thank you." Caroline said, trailing him and resisting the urge to throw a glance back over her shoulder. She was suddenly uncomfortable with her daughter being in that room without her.

"Jessica said you have a daughter here with you today?" Mr. Dunham asked, clearly making small talk and attempting to fill the silence as they trailed down a long hallway, passing the restrooms. Caroline cursed herself, this interview was not going well, all because she was afraid of a harmless robot teddy bear.

"Yes, I hope that isn't a problem. I wasn't going to bring her but she begged me." Caroline laughed, forcing herself to sound happier..

"Nah, children love it here. Something about this place just keeps bringing them back to see Freddy and his pals. It makes sense your daughter would feel the same way."

"She's wanted to come here for a while but I could never afford to bring her. Well, that or I couldn't find the time." Caroline told him, subtly cluing him in to her financial situation and hoping he'd address the low pay.

"Ah, yes, I understand. Times are tough. People are losing their jobs left and right and businesses are cutting hours and pay. Despite the business you see here today, this company has fallen on hard times as well." Mr. Dunham told her seriously, stopping to touch a part of the wall where the paint was chipping off.

"As you can see, this building needs a lot of repairs, repairs we just can't afford to make at the moment. Even our electricity is faulty, tending to cut out at random moments sometimes, almost as though it has a mind of its own." he chuckled a little at that.

"Really?" Caroline said, interested only because she didn't want to be left alone with those things in the pitch darkness.

"Oh yes." Mr. Dunham replied, "We only run a generator at night because of it. Something keeps messing up the wiring so the building is a giant fire hazard when no one is here keeping an eye on things."

"There's limited power at night then?" She said, the uneasy feeling creeping back.

Mr. Dunham nodded before pausing to open the door to the kitchen, the smell of marinara, pepperoni, and cheese drifting out into the hallway. He ignored the bustling cooks who dashed to and fro as he made a beeline for the sink, picking up an empty plastic cup with Freddy and his friend's faces plastered on the side. Then he went to a nearby soda machine and filled it with ice cold water, handing it to a grateful Caroline.

She sipped on it as Mr. Dunham waved his hand in a taa-daa like gesture.

"Obviously this is the kitchen." he said, "You don't need to worry about the power in here. We keep a separate generator on to keep the refrigerators running at night. However, you do need to conserve the rest of your power because if you don't you're gonna be totally in the dark with no way to restore power."

Caroline nodded, feeling a little out of place. He wasn't talking like this was an interview. He was talking like it was an orientation. She didn't say anything however, continuing to sip on her water and nod as he continued talking.

"We have a security camera in here, but it only has audio. We used to have a video feed in here too but someone cracked the lens so we only use the sound now." Mr. Dunham growled, obviously irritated by whomever had partially broken the camera.

"If you'll follow me…" he drawled, leaving the cooks to keep making pizzas for the buffet table in the dining room. He went down the hall a ways, pointing out at least two more cameras to her as they reached their next destination, a dingy little office that had obviously seen better days.

At first she thought it had no doors, for it led right to the other hall, until Mr. Dunham pulled her inside and pressed a red button that sent a metal door slamming into the floor. Caroline stared at it with wide eyes for a moment, wondering why they had felt the need to install high security doors in a place like this. Her thoughts drifted back to the animatronics on the stage unwillingly, something niggling at the back of her mind. Perhaps the doors were for the animatronics? A ridiculous thought, but one she couldn't quite banish as Mr. Dunham directed her attention to a tablet on the desk.

"We used to have monitors installed in here, but we switched over to this tablet system which seems more convenient for our night security. He turned on the tablet, which automatically opened the security feeds, a tiny map in the corner allowed him to flicker between cameras. He opened the dining hall as an example, showing all of the children laughing and talking amongst themselves. At the top of the feed, close to the stage, was Olivia. She was peering up at where Caroline knew Freddy was. She wasn't smiling like the other children, merely staring at the animatronics in something like wonder and holding on to her teddy bear.

"Which one is your daughter?" Mr. Dunham asked, seeing the way she was staring into the camera. Caroline pointed her out, looking up to see Mr. Dunham's lips pursed together as if in deep thought.

"We should hurry." he said abruptly, shutting down the tablet and leaving the room. Caroline followed him, shocked by his swift change of tone and the stiff way he held his shoulders. He pointed out the storage closet and back stage to her, opening up the door that lead back into the dining room, only to be stopped as Caroline gestured to what appeared to be another stage area, closed off by a purple curtain with yellow stars on it. A sign below read 'out of order.'

"What's that?" she asked, coming closer to the stage to peer through the hole in the curtain.

"Pirate's Cove." he told her, "The animatronic character in there is shut down and has been for a long time."

"Why?"

"The company decided he was too scary for some of the younger children so they ordered him removed from the band. We've kept ours because…. Well, because he's part of the family. He can't leave." he told her, gesturing for her to come away from the curtain. Caroline stepped back, but not before she thought she caught a flash of silver eyes inside.

'Great,' she thought, 'another creepy robot. Only this one is supposedly worse than the others.'

Returning to the dining hall, Caroline was relieved that the lights around the stage had dimmed, casting Freddy and his pals into shadow. Although they still moved around, looking over the crowded dining room attentively.

Jessica was no where in sight.

"So will you take the job?" Mr. Dunham asked her, desperation dripping from every word.

Caroline thought about it for a moment before deciding to just be honest. "I've put in some applications at other places. If anyone from those places calls and are offering better pay, I can't afford not to take them up on their offer. So, for a while at least, yes. I accept the job."

"That's great!" Mr. Dunham cried, reaching out a hand for her to shake. "We'll get the paperwork out of the way right now."

Caroline shook the man's hand, wondering why exactly she felt like she had just made a deal with the devil himself. Suddenly the lights darkened, a birthday song starting up as one of the employees brought out a cake to one of the huge groups of people at one of the tables. And, slightly above the singing, she heard a child shriek, "Mommy! That girl is climbing up on stage! I want to go!"

The mom pulled the kid back into his chair, her cheeks bright red as she told him to hush. But Caroline wasn't looking at her, she was staring at the little blonde figure that was pulling herself up onto the wooden platform, a golden teddy bear resting by one of Freddy's enormous feet.

Mr. Dunham ran, Caroline a step behind him as he called out. "Little girl! You can't be up there!"

"Liv!" Caroline yelled, frightened by Mr. Dunham's urgency and the panic in his voice.

Their cries were drowned out by the loud pitchy singing, other families joining in, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUU…"

In her peripheral vision, she could see the flickering candles, the brightest little things in the darkened room, and she imagined each one going out in a puff of smoke, leaving everything in darkness. Her skin crawled, the shadows of the room becoming darker and more malignant than before; and the only thing she could think about was that she did _not_ want Olivia on that stage when the lights went out.

The animatronics eyes glowed, and they became unusually still as the little girl struggled to pull herself up, one leg already up on stage as she hoisted the other up and over.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MAAAARRRRRYYYYYYYY!"

Freddy's head turned down as Olivia got to her feet, a tiny little hand reaching up and out as though she was going to caress his face, only to be wrenched off the stage a moment later by her mother. For a moment she struggled against her grip before going slack in her arms, allowing herself to be lowered to the floor.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUU!" the party group finished, the lights brightening dramatically a moment after the birthday girl blew out her candles.

Then everyone in the room cheered, happy for the birthday girl. Everyone except Mr. Dunham, Olivia, and Caroline. Face flushed red, Mr. Dunham looked up at the animatronic monsters he'd played host to for years. They were looking back, glaring at him as though they wanted to rip him to pieces, and he had no doubt that they would if they were given the opportunity.

Then the stage lights flickered on of their own free will, illuminating the characters again. Freddy chuckled lowly, barely heard underneath the joyful screams of the children who worshiped him.

"_Hey there kids! I'm so glad you could make to another one of my shows here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!" _He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What were you thinking?!" Caroline said, grabbing her daughter's cheeks as she forced her to look at her. "You knew the rules when we came in!"

Mr. Dunham looked around before suggesting they take this somewhere more private, noticing the dirty looks they were getting from a few of the parents.

Silently he led them back towards the office, Caroline scolding her daughter all the way there. It was only when the little girl had stepped into the tiny room with drawings dedicated to Freddy and his friends that she started to cry.

"I'm sorry mommy! Are you not gonna get the job now?!"

Mr. Dunham stepped in then, reassuring Olivia that her mother still had the job. Then he asked her why she decided to climb up on the stage.

Olivia's green eyes grew wide, and she looked up at her mother who was still angry and quite shaken. "Freddy was talkin' to me."

"Olivia, it isn't polite to tell lies." Caroline patronized, denying what she had felt herself. "You know better."

"But I'm not lying! I'm not! He told me we could be friends, that I could sing in the band! I'm not even lying, you have to believe me!"

"Let's just let it go. No harm was done." Mr. Dunham suggested, handing Olivia a piece of paper and suggesting that she stay in the office while the adults filled out paperwork.

A half-hour later a new picture of Freddy was hanging on the wall and Caroline was given a shiny new uniform, an official employee of Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria. Mr. Dunham walked them back to the dining room, telling Caroline that he would see her on Sunday night at eleven thirty sharp. Caroline nodded, shaking his hand again as she led a still slightly dazed Olivia out the door.

Caroline tried to ignore the three pairs of eyes she felt glued to her back as she walked out the door and the gut feeling that she'd just signed her soul away.

**AN: You should _always_ go with your gut feeling. Especially if that gut feeling is telling you you shouldn't take a job because of some creepy animatronic characters.**

**Also, I apologize for any mistakes or typos. I've read this chapter multiple times but I may have missed something here or there. **


	3. Night of the Living Animatronics

**AN: I've edited and read through this chapter so many times… there are still things I think could've been better but if I keep it any longer it'll never get posted.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, and followed. And a huge thank you to my one reviewer. Kingdom Infinity... I'm glad you think it's creepy. I hope it continues to be creepy. You win internet Pizza delivered by Chica. XD**

**Have you guys seen the new trailer for FNAF2? What did you think of the whole… no doors thing? *Chuckles nervously***

**Disclaimer: I don't own FNAF… -_-**

**Chapter 3: Night of the Living Animatronics**

"_There was something delightfully intimate about the relationship between predator and prey." -Nenia Campbell, Horrorscape_

The rest of the week flew by too quickly for Caroline's liking. After almost fleeing Freddy Fazbear's Pizza several days before, little had been mentioned about the strange things Caroline had felt while inside that building; though she had wondered vaguely how nobody else had seemed bothered by the oppressive and hostile feeling that oozed throughout the place.

Nevertheless, she needed the work. None of the other workplaces she had put in applications for had decided to call her in for an interview. She truly was stuck with Freddy's. Finally she decided to put the entire thing behind her, not wanting to go to work every day paranoid as hell.

Thankfully Olivia, despite her tears over potentially costing Caroline a job, didn't seem affected by the events that occurred at Freddy's. If anything she seemed even more obsessed with the place than before, pictures of the animatronics scribbled on every available surface. Although she _had_ been a bit upset to discover her stuffed bear had been left behind in the pizzeria on stage, and she had insisted her mother fetch it for her when she started work tonight.

Sleep eluded Caroline as the hours ticked down to her first night at the pizzeria, a feeling of nervousness forcing her to stay awake despite her exhaustion. So she passed the time by watching old reruns on TV and the hour hand inch closer and closer to eleven.

At eleven fifteen she reluctantly got up and showered, dressing quickly in her new uniform and pulling her slightly damp hair up in a ponytail. She didn't bother with makeup, after all she had no one to impress late at night. Instead, she merely dabbed some concealer under her eyes, removing the worst of the dark shadows under her green orbs. After all, she didn't want her employer to think she'd fall asleep on the job.

After dressing, she kissed her sleeping daughter on the forehead and urged her son to get to bed as well. Then she walked out to her old rickety car and set off to Freddy's.

The drive was long and tense, her daughter not babbling in the backseat the way she had on the way to the interview. It gave Caroline too much time to think things over.

She didn't know why Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria was still as popular as it was. A majority of kids still opted for the much more popular Chuck E. Cheese that was much closer to the center of town by the shopping mall. That is, when they weren't watching violent movies and shows on television or playing their videogames..

Still, Freddy's restaurant seemed to be doing good, better than good even. Despite the dilapidated building- and old animatronics that were practically falling apart- people still came in droves to the place; spending their money to preoccupy their kids with the animatronics songs. There wasn't even an overly large arcade save for a select few machines in the very front, and those didn't look like they'd seen a single quarter in a long time. Most of the attention seemed to be focused on Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica.

It was apparent from the amount of poorly drawn pictures on the wall how beloved the characters were to children. She recalled how attentive they had all been to the show. Even a little four year old boy she'd briefly seen- pulling the cheese from his pizza slice, happily smearing the gooey mess all over his face and plate whilst staining his shirt with marinara- had stopped what he was doing the instant Freddy said hello, his wide brown eyes locking on the stage as he shrieked with happiness and dropped the mutilated pizza slice back onto his plate.

It was almost eerie how much the animatronics were adored by the children. Her own daughter especially. She recalled the calm demeanor of Olivia as she crawled onto the stage, not at all daunted by the frightening size and look of the robots. Her little hand, dotted with freckles, reached out to touch Freddy with a reverence Caroline had never seen. It was like a blind man seeing the light for the first time, awestruck by the brightness of the sun. It made her uneasy.

It was exactly 11:50 when she entered Freddy's, the familiar form of Mr. Dunham darting around and straightening a few chairs and party hats that had been set out for the next morning. The rest of the place was deserted, the only sound being the scuff of Mr. Dunham's shoes on the polished floor and the humming of the lights from above. Freddy and his friends were shut down, motionless and standing rigidly, staring vacantly out into the party room. She was relieved that they couldn't move, couldn't peer down at her with plastic eyes that seemed too aware. No, they looked dead now, and that was the way she liked it. Maybe the night shift wouldn't be so creepy after all.

Dr. Dunham didn't seem to notice her presence at the doorway, instead turning his head every few seconds to the stage as though he expected something to happen any minute. It wasn't until she cleared her throat- the noise making him whirl towards her, eyes wide- that she got his attention.

"Ms. Lance." He stammered, checking his watch. "You're here. Good."

He approached her quickly, flashing a ring of shiny silver keys. "I'm just about to lock up."

Caroline followed him to the doors, which he quickly locked, leaving one propped open with his foot. Then he passed her the keys. He chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair and telling her not to lose the key or she'd be trapped in the building till he arrived the next morning. Caroline pocketed them, not wanting to be stuck in here if something at night. He had mentioned faulty wiring after all.

She expected him to walk her through what she was supposed to do, but instead he simply backed further into the door's threshold, gesturing towards the back where the security room was.

"Your passcode is back there. You can clock in on the computer. You'll see it. Stay in the office. Don't venture out into the halls unless it's absolutely necessary. I meant it when I said it gets dark in here at night. The second midnight rolls around the main lights go out and won't turn back on till around six. I suggest you hurry and use the restroom if you need to. You probably won't get another opportunity in the next several hours."

He paused, something akin to sadness flickering over his features. He stared at her for a moment, as though contemplating saying something. Obviously he decided against it, for his shook his head, smiling at her weakly.

"I'll you in the morning then." He said, phrasing it more like a question than a statement.

"Yes sir." Caroline said, confused by his odd behavior. Her eyes followed him as he jogged to his car, the door slamming shut in her face just as he was turning to look back at the building. The sound echoed, causing her to flinch. She counted one breath, then another, before slowly turning and making her way to the office. She glanced towards the stage to see the animatronics once more as she passed. They hadn't shifted once.

The hallways were still bright, but she hurried regardless, not wanting to be caught in the dark when the power went out. She entered the security room, her hand hovering over the door button before recalling what Mr. Dunham said about limited power.

Instead she moved to the button labeled lights and pressed it, wanting to make sure it still worked. She glanced back out into the hall, seeing a solitary light positioned right outside her door flicker to life. She did the same for the other side, relieved to see everything functioning just the way it was supposed to. Then she grabbed the folder with her name written on it off the desk, seeing a sticky note with a username and passcode stuck to the top. She then picked up the tablet, clicking the power on and clocking in when the time read 11:59. Then she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable.

Although she knew it was coming, it was hard to fight back a scream as the lights cut out all at once. She would have been entirely in the dark save for the single light bulb ominously flickering above her. She glanced left and right, noting the complete and utter darkness of the hallway outside her door. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the change, creating disfigured silhouettes from nothing that watched her from just outside the door.

Shivering, she pressed the light switches again, happy when the last of the darkness was chased away by light. Each bulb continued to flicker for about ten seconds before flickering out, probably in an effort to conserve more power.

She flipped through the camera for a moment, checking each video feed and lingering on the show stage and pirate's cove, before noticing a little bar that read energy consumption at the bottom of the screen. She shut off the tablet, not wanting to watch the number flash from 100% to 99%. She didn't want to know how much power she had left. Opening her purse, she pulled out her phone. She flipped open the little device, frowning as she noticed the service was crap in this area.

She sighed, leaning back in the little swivel chair in the office and humming a song under her breath. She didn't know how long she sat there, basking in the gentle breeze the fan created and flipping between the camera feeds every few minutes, humming one song after another.

Then the phone rang. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she did scream this time. Just a bit, but it seemed all too loud in the quiet little restaurant. She jumped to answer it, pressing the phone to her ear and saying a breathless hello into the receiver.

"Hello?" Caroline called again, hearing nothing save the sound of her own breathing.

She sighed, putting down the phone and leaning back in her chair again.

Then the phone rang again, loudly, too loud. She didn't answer it this time, letting it go directly to voicemail.

It beeped, a little red light blinking as a man's voice came through the speaker. _"Ah, hello? Hello?"_ He called, his voice clipped and strained.

"_Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you that there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do just fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?"_

Caroline relaxed a bit in her chair. This must have been why Mr. Dunham didn't stay to show her the ropes, this mystery man on the phone was going to give her all the information she needed.

"_Let's see here… first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know."_

No, she didn't know. She thought everything had been covered by Mr. Dunham when she was signing that waiver. This couldn't be anything more than a reiteration of the things he'd outlined… right?

"'_Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grownups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.'"_

Caroline laughed, startled at the man's words. She didn't like the way that introduction was phrased. It almost sounded like the company expected her to go missing or die, and that they wanted to cover up her death _before_ filing a missing person's report so that nothing could be tied back to them. Surely that wasn't the case. After all, he had read through it pretty quickly. She had to be mistaken...

"_...there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay."_

The way he spoke about them… almost as though they were alive…

Suddenly Caroline thought there was more to her her paranoia than she'd wanted to acknowledge. She imagined the look in Freddy's eyes as he'd sought her out in the pizzeria, the subtle threats that she'd thought were conjured up in her own head. She felt sick.

She wanted to leave. She wanted to never come back to this place. It was much too late now though. It was too dark to stumble her way through the halls, and with the guy on the phone now rambling on about a free roaming mode, she didn't want to accidently bump into any of the animatronics on her way to freedom. No, she was stuck here until Mr. Dunham arrived in the morning.

She turned the camera on then, the silent black and white feed showing all of the animatronics still up on stage, as serene and still as they had been since she had arrived. A quick look at Pirate's Cove yielded the same results, the purple curtain with yellow stars unmoving.

"_... I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?" _

She was going to puke. This was either an incredibly cruel joke. Or the truth.

"_Uh, now concerning your safety, the only _real_ risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit." _the Phone Guy chucked nervously, obviously fearful.

"_Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh. Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up." _

Caroline kept her eyes glued to the animatronics on camera. Fighting the urge to just shut the doors and wait till morning. Despite how reassuring the guy on the phone was trying to be, it was almost impossible to fake the strain and fear in his voice. She really had signed herself up for a nightmare. Despite wanting to pretend his words were false, she just couldn't accept them as anything but the truth. She _knew_ there was something wrong with this place.

She listened to his hasty goodbye and the quick reminder to conserve power, and she quickly reached out her hand and flipped the fan off. She knew it wouldn't make too much of a difference, but every second counted right?

The next few hours were spent watching the robots, waiting for them to move even an inch so that she knew she wasn't just going utterly insane. Occasionally she would reach out and flicker the lights to reassure herself there was nothing there. There never was.

Her ears started to ring in the silence, and she could hear her own heartbeat thumping erratically in her chest. She jumped at every shadow and creak of the swivel chair.

It wasn't until 3am, halfway through her shift and reduced to a puddle of anxiety that her patience was finally rewarded. She flipped the camera feed from Pirate's Cove to the show stage and nearly screamed when, sure enough, one of the animatronics had disappeared.

Bonnie was found a panicked moment later standing backstage, close to the camera and angled so that his purple eyes were peering up into the camera. A wide grin was plastered across his face.

She shook, running a hand through her red hair. "Okay… I can do this. He isn't anywhere near me." she murmured.

She hesitantly flipped back to the main stage, her heart coming to a screeching halt as she found herself staring right into the blue eyes of Freddy Fazbear. She whimpered, looking down at the thing clutched in his paw in the place of his microphone.

Olivia's teddy bear had seen better days, his little neck gripped tight by Freddy as he hung limply in the animatronics grasp. His neck was stretched out, his head almost popping off from the sheer pressure Freddy must have been exerting on the small frail little thing.

His stomach had been ripped open, stuffing falling gently from his tummy to the floor. In replacement of the missing stuffing, tiny wires protruded from the wound, lovingly placed so that they were visible for Caroline to see.

The worst part was the words that had appeared from nowhere, written on the wall behind Freddy in a substance that almost resembled blood.

"Joy of creation?" she whispered. Flinching as a loud ominous laugh rumbled through the building.

Tears burned in her eyes, and she flipped the camera feed again, back to Pirate's Cove and then to the hallway outside her door. Bonnie loomed in the darkness, barely visible, his eyes nothing but gaping black holes with tiny white lights glowing dimly. She reached out and shut the security door, not wanting him to sneak in while she was preoccupied with looking at the camera.

Chica had taken her momentary distraction to wander offstage and towards the bathrooms. Obviously the animatronics knew they were being watched, for every time she flipped the camera feeds, they were peering right back at her, smiling and standing as though they were meant to be right where they were. She never saw them move, but somehow this was worse than if they had been walking around. At least if they walked they might make a little noise. This was almost like they were teleporting around the place.

This little game of hide-and-go-seek was wearing on her already fried nerves. The animatronics didn't lurk outside the door or head directly toward her. No, they wandered from room to room, never staying long and never doing anything except stare into the camera menacingly.

Freddy seemed content to never leave the stage, instead he lorded over the other two animatronics, peering down at them as they passed through the party room. When he wasn't doing that he was looking at her, his too sentient eyes seeming to taunt her. Of the three, he was obviously the smartest. He enjoyed playing games with her it seemed. Odd circus like music would play at random moments, sped up and tailored to unsettle her. Pictures on the walls changed, sometimes displaying childlike faces twisted and screaming, other times the posters weren't there at all. Instead the words, 'It's me' took their places.

Once she had flipped to the backstage room and found that all of the animatronic heads had been moved so that they were peering up into the camera the same way Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy did.

She hesitantly opened the doors every time the animatronics wandered off, even though every instinct in her begged her not to. She didn't know what would happen if the animatronics got inside, she didn't want to know. If phone guy was telling the truth, her death would probably be very painful.

They never got too close to the door though. Something she was absolutely okay with. Chica the chicken seemed to wander to the kitchen often. Caroline could hear the clang of pots and pans being slung around. She suddenly had a distinct feeling she knew who broke the camera feed in there. Bonnie seemed to like sitting in the Janitor's closet, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

The night seemed to draw rapidly to a close. Six AM loomed on the horizon like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. She tried to ignore the whispers in the back of her head that said there was nothing stopping the animatronics from attacking her after six.

Then everything went wrong. She had grown too complacent. She fucked up.

Chica was meandering about the kitchen, making a racket. Meanwhile, Bonnie was hanging out backstage, the animatronic heads all peering up at her. So distracted by the two active animatronics, she had all but forgotten Foxy until he was running down the hall, a red blur as he sprinted for the open door.

Caroline screamed, loudly, jumping from the chair and pressing the red button just quick enough to stop the animatronic fox from barging through the door. Instead he rammed right into it, a metal pirate hook scraping against the security door and making a sound similar a fork scraping against a plate. She closed the other door quickly, pressing herself against it and closing her eyes as the he pounded against the only thing separating them.

Another loud thump could be heard beside her, and she pried her eyes open to glance at Chica who had thrown herself at the window, her teeth bared at Caroline through the glass. Nothing but her eyes moved, they flickered to and fro, locked on Caroline with something like hunger.

The fox hadn't given up his pursuit either, flinging himself into the door over and over still, shrieking loudly. Freddy laughed again from somewhere within the restaurant, and Caroline broke down, tears streaming down her face.

"Fuck you you animatronic piece of shit!" she howled, backing up until her knees hit the chair and she fell down into it. The tablet crashed to the floor. Then Foxy abruptly stopped, standing motionless and tranquil.

The only sound came from Chica, a loud gasping noise like a person trying desperately to suck up a little bit of air.

A second passed, then two. And then the lights shut down all at once.

Caroline screamed again, covering her head with her arms and waiting for the fox to enter the room and rip her to shreds. The sudden darkness left her momentarily blind as her eyes strained to adjust.

Then there were soft footsteps, muffled by fur, entering the room. Two animatronic bloodshot blue eyes lit up along with two rows of blunt teeth twisted into a smile.

"Freddy…" Caroline weeped, peering up at him and knowing that she was going to die.

The Toreador March started up, playing loudly in the small office. Freddy's eyes lit up with each note, illuminating the little room. She could still see Chica and and the dark outline of Foxy, who still hadn't left. Maybe they wanted to see the show as Freddy tore her into bits.

She waited and waited and waited, the song continuing to play. Could she really wait here until Freddy decided to end her suffering? She could run. She wouldn't get very far but she could still run.

The decision was taken out of her hand by the tablet on the floor, the westminster chimes almost drowned out by Freddy's song but playing nonetheless. Six o'clock had arrived at last. Too bad she wouldn't live to see seven.

The march cut off abruptly, Freddy freezing in place. He glanced down at her, hatred in his gaze, and she was sure he was going to finish the job because… why wouldn't he?

Instead, he merely chuckled, a garbled mechanical sound. He then turned and lumbered back down the hall towards the stage. The other two followed shortly afterwards and, presumably, returned to their posts.

Caroline sat in the little office a while longer, crying softly and thanking God for her life. These things were demonic. These monsters and their keeper. Rage burned hot in Caroline. Mr. Dunham had lied to get her to accept the position. He never spoke of the dangers. As much as she wanted to leave, she decided to wait and give him a piece of her mind and her resignation.

Glancing at the door, she saw a tiny little face looking back at her. Olivia's bear… mangled beyond recognition. Caroline picked up the bear with shaking hands, and then her purse, trailing quietly down the hall and out into the party room. Freddy and his friends weren't moving. They looked dead. She knew better.

Glancing down at the piece of paper that had rested gently beside her daughter's teddy, Caroline sucked in a breath. For the picture was none other than the one Olivia had pinned proudly to the wall. Two new alterations had been made to the innocent little drawing. Every pair of eyes had been colored in to resemble vacant black pits, and the words _'See you soon!' _had been scrawled onto the paper in childish handwriting.

Caroline shivered, pulling the ring of keys from her pocket.

And when she unlocked the door and trailed out into the parking lot to sit in her car, she knew for a fact that three pairs of eyes were watching her go.

**AN: So... it essentially ends on the same note as last chapter. Only this time Caroline **_**knows**_** she's being watched by three bloodthirsty robots... Hm...**


End file.
